Best Tent Camping near Middleburg, FL

Tent camping options around Middleburg, Florida include several forested sites with varying degrees of primitive setups and solitude. Jennings State Forest offers multiple tent camping areas, including the Hammock Campground with designated tent pads and the more remote Mule Landing Campsite on the Pioneer Trail. Black Creek Ravine provides secluded backcountry tent sites accessible only by hiking approximately 2.4 miles in, offering a peaceful camping experience along the river.

Most primitive tent sites in the Middleburg area feature basic amenities such as fire rings with grill grates, picnic tables, and designated tent pads. Walk-in tent sites typically require hikes ranging from under a mile to over three miles, with marked trails leading to campsites. At Bayard Conservation Area, tent campers must hike several miles to reach riverside campsites, where they'll find fire rings, picnic tables, and access to non-potable water sources. Jennings State Forest provides both drive-in and hike-in access to tent sites, with facilities varying between campgrounds. Many primitive areas require campers to pack in their own drinking water and pack out all trash.

Areas farther from developed facilities offer deeper seclusion for tent camping enthusiasts. Black Creek Ravine provides water access from the river for campers with purification systems, and the single campsite offers solitude with only occasional boat traffic passing by. The Mule Landing Campsite in Jennings State Forest sits near the slow-moving Black Creek, providing a riverside experience for backcountry tent campers. One visitor described Black Creek Ravine as "a really great campsite" with "a fire ring with a grill grate on it that we were able to easily cook our food over, a wood picnic table, and a taller wooden table, more like a bar or island." Wildlife sightings are common throughout these areas, with campers reporting deer, otter, turkey, and various bird species during their stays.

Best Tent Sites Near Middleburg, Florida (24)

    1. Jennings State Forest Hammock Campground

    12 Reviews
    Middleburg, FL
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (904) 406-6390

    $9 / night

    "We hiked the beach pioneer trail and really enjoyed ourselves. The campsite is about a mile in and has a picnic table and fire ring. There is a stream nearby for water."

    "With 16 campsite each being semi private you will love the sounds of t h e wind in the trees and hawks flying over. Each has tent pad, In ground grill and picnic table."

    2. Camp Chowenwaw Park

    9 Reviews
    Fleming Island, FL
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (904) 529-8058

    "There are many different types of cabins available for rent, tent sites and 9 tree houses. Each area set up as a grouping with a bathhouse and kitchen pavilion. "

    "Definitely Different and Unique for Florida. And the perfect place to review my icemulecoolers.com 

    Campground Review:

    Camp Chowenwaw is located in Green Cove Springs, FL adjacent to the St."

    3. Black Creek Ravine

    2 Reviews
    Middleburg, FL
    4 miles
    Website

    "We liked that you have to hike in, there is no car access."

    4. Mule Landing Campsite on the Pioneer Trail

    1 Review
    Middleburg, FL
    7 miles
    +1 (904) 406-6390

    "You’ll wind around and ascend a slight incline before reaching Mule Landing, but trust me, if you are looking for one of the best private hike-in campgrounds, you’ve just arrived."

    5. Bayard Conservation Area

    3 Reviews
    Green Cove Springs, FL
    17 miles
    Website

    "It is a track of land that has many hiking trails that traverse through shaded pine forests, hammocks, marsh, and river areas. "

    "Hiked in about 3.3 miles, but OnX user beware, trust the trail’s red marks, not the trail marked on most maps! Part of the trail was reblazed to go around a washed out section."

    6. Etoniah Creek State Forest Green Camp

    2 Reviews
    Florahome, FL
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (386) 329-2552

    $9 / night

    "Just off the Palatka-Lake Butler Bike trail. Campgrounds are About 4 miles in on bikeable hard roads. Six Sites have picnic tables, lots of room, fire ring with grate, bbq grills, a latrine nearby."

    "Located just about 20 minutes due northwest of Palatka – dubbed ‘Florida’s State Farmers Market’ where you will easily discover that this north central town is teeming with fresh agriculture every which"

    7. High Vibes PMA

    Be the first to review!
    Florahome, FL
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (386) 590-1885

    $20 - $25 / night

    9. Dutton Island Preserve

    4 Reviews
    Atlantic Beach, FL
    34 miles
    Website

    $25 - $125 / night

    "There’s a covered picnic table area and a big fire ring. The only downside was that every hour, some local would drive up to the campsite and get all confused when they saw us."

    "This is one of those spots that you come across and you're not sure if you want to write about it and share it with anyone else for the fear that this place will become overrun with folks that will ruin"

    10. Princess Place Preserve

    10 Reviews
    Palm Coast, FL
    48 miles
    Website
    +1 (386) 313-4020

    $20 / night

    "There are multiple hiking trails, and plenty of places to fish. Dock Site 2 had water on 2 side of the site, and had a steady breeze during our whole visit."

    "You’ll see from the photos (all taken from my site) that the sites are expansive and beautifully shaded."

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Tent Camping Reviews near Middleburg, FL

871 Reviews of 24 Middleburg Campgrounds


  • L
    Feb. 28, 2020

    Salt Springs Recreation Area

    Great campground in Ocala National Forest

    Fantastic campground and recreation area. Over 150 campsites, one area full hookups with all amenities and other area for tent camping. Sites have lots of space and majority have shade trees with moss flowing in the breeze. All sites have picnic table, lantern pole, grill, and fire ring. We have 2 golden retrievers and had plenty of space to spare. Beautiful stars out at night. Bathhouses are large, clean, hot showers. Trailer sites were full and only a few tent campers this time of year. Tent sites are complete with Bear boxes at each site. Camp hosts and management were very friendly and helpful.
    Saw manatees kayaking in the spring and river on premises. Spring area has a boardwalk around it. People swam with them too. Saw bald eagle catching fish, lots of birds, some fish, etc. Has a small boat launch and marina. Can tent kayaks. Great place for bikes. A few hiking trails were well maintained.
    Convenient location to lots of springs to visit and things to do. Visited Silver Springs, Blue Springs, Juniper Spring to name a few. All within 1 hr drive.
    Not sure how summer time is, but this late February time was Awesome. 40-50 at night and 60s in the day! This is a must stay place.

  • Jenn B.
    Sep. 24, 2019

    Bayard Conservation Area

    Ranger Review: Pureland 30L Guard Backpack at Bayard Conservation Area

    **Campground Review: **

    Bayard Conservation Area is located in Green Cove Springs Florida and is maintained by the St. Johns River Water Management District. It is a track of land that has many hiking trails that traverse through shaded pine forests, hammocks, marsh, and river areas. 

    We have day hiked here many times, but this trip we were going to do some primitive camping at one of the campsites. There are several areas to park and then hike in. The campsites are a few miles from the parking area. They include a fire ring and a picnic table. The campsites have several different settings, but we chose the river view. On our way to our campsite we were able to spot many animals including: deer, otter, turkey, and wild pigs. 

    The area is kept clean and is quiet with the exception of a bit of noise pollution from the surrounding area. However, this does not distract from the experience. We enjoyed our overnight backcountry trip and highly recommend Bayard.

    ----------------

    **Product Review: **

    As a Dyrt Ranger I receive products from time-to-time and this time I am testing out the Pureland 30L Guard Backpack sold by Outdoor Element

    There are so many things to love about this backpack. The extensive cording and hooks on the outside made attaching extra items a breeze. I was able to store my trekking poles and Jetboil on the back with no problem. The hip pockets were an added plus and fit my cellphone inside of it easily. The room inside of the backpack was able to hold everything I needed for an overnight trip– including my bulky sleeping bag. The only two things that took away from the backpack was the inside zipper and the water pouch. The zipper on the inside of the bag came off the track with only a light pull while the bag was empty. It did not have the integrity that the zippers on the outside had. My 3.0L reservoir would not fit all the way in the provided pouch and hung out the top a bit. After the whole trip, I sincerely love this pack and will be using it for all of my hiking and primitive camping needs!!

  • B+J S.
    Aug. 29, 2020

    Anastasia State Park Campground

    Awesome spot by the beach

    Easy to get to and close to everything! If you’re a beach lover, this is a great campground. All of the sites are shaded with fire rings, water hookups, picnic tables, and lantern holders. Most sites offer a fair bit of privacy for you set up camp properly. Each loop has a clean restrooms, laundry facilities with a clothes line and Coquina (the loop we stayed on) had a playground.

    Would recommend bicycles to get to the beach and either SUPs or kayaks to paddle the salt run at high tide. I’d you don’t have your own, they rent them there. There’s also a beach grill and convenience store by the beach.

    If you’re an early bird, watching the sunrise from the beach is quite a nice way to start the day!

  • Napunani
    Jun. 10, 2023

    Salt Springs Recreation Area

    Immaculate Wind Tunnel (see video)

    PROS

    A camp host came to our site immediately after we unhitched to advise that our one tow vehicle tire on the grass will get us a $250 fine from US Forest Service officer. Funny, we never ever saw a USFS officer patrolling the campground. 

    Entrance gates closed at 8pm requiring code to enter 

    Immaculately maintained park. A small army of maintenance staff always working. Even one night at 930pm in the bathroom. 

    Saved $156 with America the Beautiful pass 

    Site 32 shady 

    Asphalt parking pad surrounded with sandy gravel 

    Moveable metal picnic table 

    Pedestal BBQ grill 

    High sided metal fire ring with 2 unremovable cooking grates 

    One hook lantern pole 

    Campfire wood for sale at registration office 

    No street lights in campground so good dark sky viewing if neighbors have their rig lights off which most nights they were lit up which also lit up surrounding campsites 

    Able to get T-MOBILE signal on our T-MOBILE WIFI device 

    Many squirrels ate from our hand 

    CONS 

    In 8 days never saw a USFD vehicle drive thru the campground

    $8 fee to make on-line reservations 

    Site 32 not level 

    Absolutely no privacy from any other site 

    In 20 degree exterior temperatures, both campground bathhouses had windows open, whole house fans operating in full capacity and ceiling fans operating on high. Obvious park maintenance does NOT want anyone taking a shower when interior bathhouse temperatures were in the 30s and the bathhouse was a freezing wind tunnel! It was even difficult using the toilet. 

    Loud and rowdy campers all weekend long—day and night. Quiet hours not enforced

    Highway 19 traffic noise 

    USFD clearing project on east side of campground. Heavy equipment noise for 9 straight hours day after day!!! 

    No notice water outage for 2 hours 

    No park WiFi 

    No T-MOBILE cell service 

    No public phone for emergency calls

  • Jeanene A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 2, 2019

    Camp Chowenwaw Park

    Unique Treehouse Camping Experience

    We found this fun family friendly location from a facebook post about Tree house camping and had to check it out. Making reservations was pretty easy on the county website. There are a number of forms you will be emailed to print and fill out(will save you a lot of time if you plan to use the pool that is run by YMCA) 

    Check in was easy. The office is closed form 12– 1 so no chance of checking in early. There is a Girl Scout Museum near the main office where you check is– but is rarely open. This was an old girl scout camp and now id open to the public. There are many different types of cabins available for rent, tent sites and 9 tree houses. Each area set up as a grouping with a bathhouse and kitchen pavilion. 

    The tree houses were so fun to stay in and being higher up gave us chances of a breeze– many in our group brought battery operated fans. Though there was a threat of rain all weekend we stayed high and dry in the tree houses(2 sides are only screened) 

    There was a very large lighted screened kitchen pavilion with fireplace, stove, fridge, sinks and covered outdoor grill. There were other campers in the tree house area we shared this community area with. It was great to have a place to hang out during the rainy evenings. Bath house was centrally located and clean. 

    Pool was very nice and very strictly run by the local“Y”. It was closed a lot due to distant rumbles of thunder but we did get a few minutes to enjoy. 

    Trails were well kept and took you through the property and past many of the grouped cabin areas. One boardwalk took you out to the river and fishing dock another out through the area by the tree houses. 

    It was a good 10 minute hike with our gear to get to the tree houses from parking area near pool. Wagons are provided but pack light to save the trouble. 

    Summertime this place is a kids paradise. There were lots of families, parties and groups on the property when we went. Fall and Winter we are told is the best time to camp here but we were advised to book early! 

    Remember to Leave No Trace and enjoy this one of a kind experience!

  • Tracy L H.
    Jul. 11, 2019

    Camp Chowenwaw Park

    Ranger Review: ICEMULE Cooler at Camp Chowenwaw Park Treehouse Point

    Florida has many many different camping options.  I was looking for something unique and different from what I'd done before and this place popped up on my radar.  Definitely Different and Unique for Florida. And the perfect place to review my icemulecoolers.com 

    Campground Review:

    Camp Chowenwaw is located in Green Cove Springs, FL adjacent to the St. John's River and on Black Creek.  It was a Girl Scout Camp for 70 years and is now owned and operated by Clay County, FL (https://www.claycountygov.com/departments/parks-and-recreation/camp-chowenwaw-park).  There are many different styles of camping available here with lots of privacy between the different sections.  

    I chose to camp in the Treehouse Point for a weekend where there are 9 Treehouses available for camping.  A group of us went and had Treehouse #4 and #5.  Each screened in non electric Treehouse slept 4 in bunk beds.  There were several central fire rings with a picnic table/benches throughout the unit.  A shared bathhouse with toilets, sinks, lights, and hot showers was available in the unit also.  There was a central dining hall for all of Treehouse Point with electric, lights, fans, inside fireplace, stove, refrigerator, sink area, and porch with outside charcoal grill and picnic table.  

    Even with sharing the dinning hall with other campers it was great since it was big enough and everyone was friendly.  The Treehouses are spread out with some trees in between so they are semi private.  The pool is available but doesn't open til 10 am where as we were all ready to go earlier since it was HOT.  It was very enjoyable but HOT in July with no electric in the Treehouses.  We had no issues with mosquitoes or yellow flies and the frogs serenaded us every night loudly, so that was a cool experience.  We had decided not to take kayaks since there was a bit of a walk into our area and we didn't want to leave them in the parking area on our vehicles, which turned out to be a good decision because the kayak launch was under repairs.  They are planning on upgrading a lot so it should be great soon.  They recently upgraded and replaced the fishing pier and its awesome.  We are planning to go again in the Fall when its cooler.  I would recommend this place for a unique experience.  On a side note:  Green Cove Springs has a pool also in a community park on the St. John's River that is spring fed and would be a cool stop.

    ........................................

    Product Review:

    As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products.  A Camp Chowenwaw I tested the icemulecoolers.com.  I got the ICEMULE Pro XL (33L which equals 24 cans plus ice) in Camo.

    1.  What I loved about the ICEMULE was that I could wear it like a backpack and be comfortable and free my hands for something else.

    2.  I loved that the straps were wide and comfortable.

    3.  I also loved that the chest cross strap could be moved up and down to make it more comfortable for women to use the chest cross strap.

    4.  The straps had lots of room to make smaller or larger so it will be great fit  for a variety of people and body styles.

    5.  It kept my ice solid for three days in the FL heat.

    6.  It has a port to add air to enhance the coolers insulation.

    7.  It holds A LOT!!  I had 9 bottles of Propel water and 2 bags of grapes and 1 whole bag of ice.  It wasn't too heavy and there was room for much more.

    Only draw back I had was that the camo style is fabric and tends to sweat a lot.  The other colors are vinyl and don't seem to sweat.

    I'm ready to use my ICEMULE Cooler again.  I even want to take it kayaking and get some more accessories for it from their site like a dry bag and a waterproof box.

  • Stuart K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 21, 2025

    Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost & Resort

    Intimate Backwater Canoe Outpost w/ Trifecta of Camping Options

    Located at the southern tip of Rodman Reservoir, which is one of the major water tributaries that you can float around the NE perimeter of the Ocala National Forest, you’ll discover that this backwater camping outpost sits on 7+ acres of heavily forested woods and offers up 3 distinct types of camping opportunities: RV / 5th Wheeler, primitive tent-camping and cabin rentals. While apparently long a bastion of this particular area, dating back to the mid-80’s, Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost has been under new management for the past few years. Unlike many of the CG's in the area, this river-front, nature-embracing outpost is smaller than most with only 22 sites available.

    Situated just west of the tiny hamlet of Eureka in Fort McCoy, you will first spot the area designated for RVs, 5th Wheelers and trailers a moment or two before arriving to Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost as this spot sits alongside the roadway with 2-3 gravel pathway access points before actually making your arrival to the main office and beyond it, the main parking area. In all, there’s some 11 slots available with FHUs offering 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage connections along with a picnic table and fire ring at each site. Being next to a main artery of Rodman Reservoir, one always needs to be aware of elevation, in case of flooding, so what we noticed immediately, even before arriving to the Ocklawaha main office is that both the RV-designated area as well as the main office sit on more elevated land, which is a bonus in case of flooding. Unlike the cabin and primitive tent camping areas, the RV-designated area does not possess much of any shade. At $40 / night (and $45 / night including bath house) and $240 / week ($270 / week including bath house), we found the pricing here to be just about right.

    For those of you thinking about renting one of the 6 log cabins that exist here, what I liked most about this particular set-up is that all of these units are located in close proximity to one another – we’ll call this the cottage enclave – which combined, share the community amenities specific to this community. Bear in mind, these cabins are not pet-friendly, so leave your 4-legged friends at home, or look to one of the other 2 modes of camping here. You have your choice between a one- or two-room cabin, both of which offer heat, A/C, furnished with bedding, towels, dishes, pots, pans, microwave, mini-fridge, small cook top and coffee pot. Each cabin also comes with a porch offering semi-privacy to take your morning coffee as well as brand-new Weber charcoal grill that sits in front of each cabin along with an in-ground fire pit. At $134 / night for the single that sleeps 5 (with 7 being the max) and$154 / night for the double-cabin that also sleeps 5 (with 6 being the max), considering the location of where you are at, combined with the amenities provided and the relative quality of the cabins, I found the pricing to be fairly economical. The prices decrease substantially to $109 and $129/ night respectively if one books multiple nights, which makes this a no-brainer for even a short stay.

    With mi tent-pitchin’ bredren in mind, you’ll appreciate that of the 3 available types of camping here, the area reserved for setting up your own non-mobile, semi-permanent nylon camping haven will place you closest to the river, where within 50-60 yards you’ll easily be able to access the Rodman Reservoir from a decent-sized tributary. While obviously that’s a huge plus, you also want to be careful about knowing when it’s going to rain and for how long as this also would be the area that gets the most flooding if there was any. Another bonus is that the tent-sites ARE pet-friendly, so you can smile as those cabin campers stroll past your sites (while your mutt barks at them). As for the grounds themselves, there’s 2 different areas that the pathway to the river’s edge dissects in half with 4-5 sites being available on the one side and only 1-2 sites being available on the other, which will provide you with just slightly more privacy. There’s not a whole lot to these sites, where you’ll simply have a picnic table and fire ring, but you’ll be surrounded by a great tree line and solid brush, albeit you won’t have sheltered views between sites. You’ll also want to take note that, again, the pathway to the river runs through the primitive tent camping area, so while not heavily trafficked, you will certainly experience pedestrians and fellow campers coming and going. Cost per night for tent camping is an acceptable $25/ night (up to 4 people, and $5/ pp after that), which again, scouting the area and staying in a few other places, seems about right.

    Additional community amenities not already mentioned include: community bathhouses with impeccably clean restrooms and well-maintained showers, ping pong, recreation room with board games, corn hole, canoe & kayak rentals w/ shuttle service, horseshoe pit, kid’s playground and a small pond that is stocked for simple, yet enjoyable ‘catch & release’ as well as firewood available for sale @ $5/ bundle.

    Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) This CG is right on the Ocklawaha River populated with dense wetlands, marsh and semi-tropical forests sprouting sable palms, swamp maples, the odd pencil-thin towering pines and submerged cypress, so the owners are very smart to have organized a few different river experiences that you should definitely take advantage of with 2 different outfitters being Gores Landing and Rays Wayside, both of which offer up canoe ($52 / $85), solo ($42 / $75) and tandem ($62 / $95) kayak rentals as well as transport ($25 / $60) with respective pricing and seasonal availability. There’s even overnight river trips that Ockalawaha will help you set up, where pricing depends upon the specific drop point and number of nights you might be interested in. Please note that all of the above runs everyday except Tuesdays; (2) While you of course can get on a kayak, canoe or boat to catch some fish, if you don’t want to, you can simply cross the road from Ockalawaha CG and access the Wildlife & Fishing Area that has its own set of public docks and piers that you can cast a reel from – and in fact, these spots are very well-maintained and offer up some magnificent views of the head of the 100-mile Ocklawaha River as she flows southernly from Rodman Reservoir; (3) If you want to indulge in one of Florida’s greatest treasures, you’ll need to visit a natural spring and the good news is that there’s several of the state’s best springs surrounding you here, including: Salt Springs, Homosassa Springs, Deleon Springs, Silver Glen Springs, Alexander Springs, Juniper Springs, Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs; (4) If you’ve got fishing on your mind while in these parts, expect to be hauling in crappie, sunfish, small- and largemouth bass, catfish and bream; and (5) The owners Lance & Theresa are absolutely wonderful people that will do whatever it takes to ensure your stay is flawless!

    Happy Camping!

  • Leilani B.
    Jan. 18, 2022

    North Beach Camp Resort

    Beautiful setting surrounded by beaches

    We spent 3 lovely nights camping here. It's been pretty Cold so not many people were here. There are no ground fires allowed but luckily there is a community fire ring where we were Allowed to make a fire and get warm. )It went down to 42 degrees last night. Each campground has electric outlet and water spigot. Next to the community fire pit there is a well lit area with lots of outlets and washing machines. Also a picnic table and extra camping chairs. There is lots of hot water in the bathrooms. For the price, it seems like Thu bathhouse should be renovated, but still, they function. The campground is located near an airport so you can hear planes flying close ovehead. I definitely would recommend this site.

  • Sara R.
    Feb. 27, 2022

    Little Talbot Island State Park Campground

    Amazing end of summer place

    Had a perfect camping experience with my son at mid-august. Our spot was easy to find( which is important when coming back to the site at night), spacious, clean, quiet, and had a direct personal path to the restrooms/shower/laundry house. Had a nice fire ring ( we purchased a bundle across the street at the rangers station. He was very helpful in explaining where things were). Even had a clothesline set up. The beach was right across the street and we were allowed to go anytime ( no cars after the park closed though. But we could walk there so no biggie). The ranger told us it was the most beautiful beach in north Florida and he was correct. Awesome time Saw flying fish and a group of low flying seagulls ( to catch the flying fish). Only a short drive to the skatepark in Jacksonville. Wish we could have stayed longer but plan to return this year. Highly recommended!


Guide to Middleburg

Primitive tent camping options near Middleburg, Florida exist throughout several conservation areas and state forests within a 30-minute drive. The region sits at the edge of the Floridan aquifer system, where sandy soil supports longleaf pine forests and provides natural drainage during Florida's rainy seasons. Summer temperatures often exceed 90°F with high humidity, while winter nights can drop into the 40s, requiring campers to prepare for both heat management and occasional cold snaps.

What to do

Kayaking on Black Creek: Access multiple paddle routes directly from Mule Landing Campsite on the Pioneer Trail where the slow-moving creek offers wildlife viewing opportunities. "This hike-in only campground is but one of two such campgrounds that you'll find here at Phillips Branch Crossing in Jennings State Forest...about 60 or so yards that you'll have to navigate a set of handcrafted stairs" to reach the water, notes Stuart K.

Wildlife observation: Set up at Bayard Conservation Area for excellent wildlife spotting. The conservation area sits along several miles of riverfront habitat. "On our way to our campsite we were able to spot many animals including: deer, otter, turkey, and wild pigs," shares Jenn B. The riverside campsites require a 3.3-mile hike but reward with "tons of squirrels, osprey, an owl" according to Nate D.

Fishing from dedicated structures: Cast a line from purpose-built platforms at Dutton Island Preserve, which offers "a first-rate wooden promenade that is the most perfect fishing spot I've come across...in my entire life," according to Stuart K. Campers can catch freshwater species near the inland waterways or target saltwater fish closer to the intracoastal areas.

What campers like

Privacy between sites: At Jennings State Forest Hammock Campground, sites feature natural barriers creating secluded camping areas. "The sites were close as you would normally get in an established campground but there was plenty of brush to separate each site," reports Amber R., who found the campground "quiet and peaceful" even with other campers present. Another camper noted that "With 16 campsite each being semi private you will love the sounds of t h e wind in the trees and hawks flying over."

Waterfront camping options: Tent sites with direct water access provide both scenery and recreational opportunities. At Princess Place Preserve, "Waterfront campsites well space depart with complete seclusion and peaceful views! Launch your boat from your site, fish and enjoy," explains Scott S. The preserve closes to day visitors at 6pm, giving overnight campers exclusive access: "you basically have the next three hours of daylight to roam the entire place by yourself!"

Basic amenities at primitive sites: Most backcountry sites include simple but functional features. At Black Creek Ravine, campers appreciate the facilities despite the remote setting. Nate D. found "a fire ring with grill grate on it...a wood picnic table, and a taller wooden table, more like a bar or island" which enhanced their backcountry experience. At Etoniah Creek State Forest, Brian K. notes sites have "picnic tables, lots of room, fire ring with grate, bbq grills, a latrine nearby."

What you should know

Navigation challenges: GPS devices often fail to provide accurate directions to several camping areas. Lisa S. warns about Jennings State Forest: "GPS will not get you there. Go to Middleburg. Take Long Bay Rd. Left on Old Jennings Rd. Follow signs." Similarly, Nate D. advises backpackers at Bayard Conservation Area to "trust the trail's red marks, not the trail marked on most maps! Part of the trail was reblazed to go around a washed out section."

Limited drinking water access: Most primitive sites require campers to pack in their own water supplies. Even at campgrounds with water sources, treatment is necessary. At Black Creek Ravine, campers rely on "water access from the river as long as you have a purification system." Princess Place Preserve campers should note that "Water is non potable so bring plenty," advises Aida K.

Weather contingencies: Florida's unpredictable weather patterns affect camping comfort significantly. Gregory T. experienced this firsthand at Jennings State Forest: "Even though I only spend 1 night and it poured all night, I would do it again." Summer heat requires additional planning, as Leena discovered at Dutton Island Preserve: "It was 100+ with heat index, buggy, muggy and rain half the day. The dirt roads that lead in were very muddy."

Tips for camping with families

Tree house accommodations: Families seeking unique accommodations should consider Camp Chowenwaw Park where elevated structures provide a memorable experience. "Each screened in non electric Treehouse slept 4 in bunk beds. There were several central fire rings with a picnic table/benches throughout the unit," explains Tracy L H. Chad P. adds that children particularly enjoy the "tree house 'cabins'" which provide a distinctive overnight adventure.

Swimming options: Locations with pools offer relief from summer heat. Camp Chowenwaw Park features a pool that "is a nice feature, you just be over age 18 and have your license with you to swim, which is weird," notes Kandi G. For families with younger children, Jenn B. mentions "they are very strict at the pool. The children had to do swim tests and wear a necklace denoting which portion of the pool they could be in."

Pack strategically for hike-in sites: Many of the best tent camping near Middleburg, Florida requires hiking with gear. At Camp Chowenwaw's treehouse area, be prepared for "a good 10 minute hike with our gear to get to the tree houses from parking area near pool. Wagons are provided but pack light to save the trouble," advises Jeanene A.

Tips from RVers

Limited RV accommodations: Most primitive camping near Middleburg focuses on tent camping with few dedicated RV sites. Wayne C. notes that Jennings State Forest is "just gorgeous for being just outside of the Jacksonville area. There are designated camping sites and walk in camping sites," but access for larger vehicles remains limited. "It's cheap. Seems like no one is around," adds Gregory T., making it suitable for small campervans or truck campers seeking isolation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Middleburg, FL?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Middleburg, FL is Jennings State Forest Hammock Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 12 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Middleburg, FL?

TheDyrt.com has all 24 tent camping locations near Middleburg, FL, with real photos and reviews from campers.